Rising Again

"What? Abbott died on Panshi Planet?" Froman, head of the Sirius Mercenary Group, shot to his feet when he heard the news from Crock and asked in disbelief.

It wasn't that Froman had been particularly fond of Abbott, even though Abbott was his most loyal subordinate.

Within the Sirius Mercenary Group, Abbott was the most ruthless of them all. He took every opportunity to handle the killing, leaving himself with a long list of wanted charges and, indirectly, keeping the other members' records relatively clean.

After all, robbery was normal for mercenaries. Most of the time, only the most vicious and notorious among them were wanted for major crimes. So, although the Sirius Mercenary Group had a terrible reputation, Abbott was the only one wanted for serious offenses.

That also left Abbott with nowhere else to turn besides the Sirius Mercenary Group, making him the member Froman trusted most.

Mercenaries willing to take the fall for others were hard to find. Most of the time, simply saying Abbott's name was enough to intimidate anyone thinking of resisting.

Abbott also held several important privileges within the group. Most significant was his control over the Sirius Mercenary Group's channels for fencing stolen goods—a further sign of Froman's trust in him.

When Abbott left this time, he had taken some of the most valuable loot from their recent robberies to sell.

After selling it, Abbott hadn't returned directly to the group. Instead, he'd gone to Panshi Planet to unwind, never expecting to meet his end on such a remote planet.

"Boss, this is the intelligence I bought." Crock sent a file of information to Froman's Identity Bracelet, his expression blank.

"Can we be sure the police didn't find the T3?" Froman scanned the report and quickly spotted the key point.

"Yes. I've confirmed it." Crock nodded firmly.

"The T3 couldn't have been destroyed by that crash and explosion. Looks like someone picked it up." Froman's expression eased a little as he spoke gravely.

As Abbott's most loyal subordinate, Froman naturally knew where he kept his valuables.

Because of Abbott's circumstances, all his wealth was held anonymously. The proceeds from fencing stolen goods were also settled anonymously to keep the Interstellar Federation from tracing them.

His wealth was kept in anonymous accounts that could only be accessed with the corresponding chip.

As a Sniper Armored Warrior, Abbott had hidden the chip inside the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device. Apart from Abbott, who had studied the device in depth, few people would know how to open it, let alone find the chip inside.

If the police had found the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device, there would be little hope of getting it back. No matter how brazen the Sirius Mercenary Group was, they wouldn't dare attack a government agency.

But if the T3 Sniper Auxiliary Device wasn't in police custody, things were different.

"Looks like we'll have to make a trip to Panshi Planet." Froman sat back down and tapped the table as he spoke in a low voice.

Four days had passed. It was now nine in the evening, and David had just fused the last two Comprehensive Knowledge Light Orbs. His Attribute Panel now showed:

Name: David Kerr

Strength: 2.52 (1)

Agility: 1.7 (1)

Constitution: 2.1 (1)

Spirit: 2.8 (1)

Literature (3% Proficient), Mathematics (5% Proficient), Comprehensive (51% Introductory), Body Technique (35% Introductory), Long Sword Mastery (5% Introductory)

Literature and mathematics had both reached the proficient level. Body Technique had made rapid progress during the first two days, reaching 35% introductory, but its pace had clearly slowed over the past two days.

David figured that his stronger spirit had fully awakened the foundation he'd built through years of training in his previous life, which explained the rapid improvement.

From now on, further progress would require long-term practice.

David felt that his understanding of the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique hadn't faded; it was just that each new insight was so slight that he could no longer make the same explosive progress as before.

He'd made other gains over the past four days, too. His Strength had increased by 0.02 and his Constitution by 0.1. The gains weren't large, but they were the result of only a few days' work.

The Attribute Panel made it especially easy for him to see his progress clearly.

He was confident that fusing the Body Technique Knowledge Light Orbs would improve his abilities and help him grow stronger even faster.

At first, David had planned to wait a little longer and improve his Body Technique through practice before fusing the two Body Technique Knowledge Light Orbs.

But the unknown danger forced him to accelerate his progress. Even though he knew this wasn't the ideal time to fuse them, he couldn't afford to wait.

Fusing Knowledge Light Orbs over the past few days had also confirmed his earlier theory. He didn't dare waste any more on experiments, but he was certain that fusing two Knowledge Light Orbs a day wouldn't cause any problems.

The one hundred thousand Credit Points he'd received as compensation for the attack and explosion had improved David's finances. His Smart Butler, Emma, had ordered three months' worth of Fortified Meat.

Now, David sat in the Underground Gym with ten portions of Fortified Meat in the food container before him. He'd prepared them for fusing the Body Technique Knowledge Light Orbs.

Lately, practicing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique had left him ravenously hungry. His body needed far more energy than before.

This was all within David's expectations. When the school's teachers taught the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique, they explained that the better one mastered the technique, the more energy it required.

This was also why so many students from less affluent families couldn't improve their Body Technique. Though the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique were very safe, the energy they required was still a huge burden on ordinary families.

David had raised his Body Technique from 10% to 35% in a short time, so the increase in his energy needs was especially clear. He was consuming three times as much energy-rich meat each day as before.

Fortunately, the compensation from the Police Station had been enough to support his recent training in the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique.

"Shadow Servant, transfer the Body Technique (70% Introductory) Knowledge Light Orb into my body." David placed his hand on the Shadow Servant's shoulder and gave the order.

This time was different from when he'd fused Knowledge Light Orbs for other subjects. He didn't dare let himself get distracted for even a moment. He needed to be in the best possible condition, so he didn't control the Shadow Servant himself. Instead, he ordered it to carry out the task.

The Body Technique (70% Introductory) Knowledge Light Orb entered his body through his arm like a red fireball. He didn't even have time to check the Attribute Panel before he was swept into the learning illusion it brought.

Unlike the Knowledge Light Orbs that had drawn him into scenes of instruction, the Body Technique (70% Introductory) Knowledge Light Orb placed him inside a body slowly performing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique. There was no teaching process; he directly experienced the insights the forms brought.

As the body in the illusion slowly grasped the technique, he began to understand the changes in his muscles that he'd previously overlooked. On the Attribute Panel, unseen by him, his Body Technique was rapidly increasing.

It rose from 35% to 40%, then 50%, 60%, and finally stopped at 99%.

Although he'd only experienced the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique at the 70% introductory level in the illusion, by the time he came to, he was drenched in sweat, every muscle in his body trembling involuntarily.

He took several deep breaths before checking the Attribute Panel before him. When he saw Body Technique (99% Introductory), he sprang to his feet, forgetting all about his exhaustion. He wanted to test out the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique at 99%.

But as soon as he struck the first pose, his body wavered. In his current condition, he couldn't manage the demanding forms.

He shook his head, dizzy with excitement, then sat back down and opened the food container in front of him. He picked up a piece of Fortified Meat and put it in his mouth.

As he ate, he thought about the second Body Technique Knowledge Light Orb he was going to fuse. It seemed there wouldn't be much trouble reaching the proficient level in Body Technique.

After resting for half an hour, he again ordered the Shadow Servant to transfer the Body Technique (20% Introductory) Knowledge Light Orb into his body.

David went through the same process, experiencing the Eighteen Forms of Body Technique within a body. This time, from beginning to end, he felt no new insights at all. At most, it reinforced some of what he'd already learned.

As soon as he woke, he looked at the Attribute Panel in front of him. Sure enough, his Body Technique was still at 99% introductory. Fusing the Body Technique (20% Introductory) Knowledge Light Orb hadn't increased it.